LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Chicago Bears signed Jay Cutler to a seven-year contract on Thursday, ending speculation they might make a change after five seasons of good and bad from their talented quarterback.

Cutler clearly thrived under first-year coach Marc Trestman and now has some of the best complements on offense he’s had since arriving in Chicago in 2009.

“It’s not always been easy,” Cutler said. “There’s been some bad years there’s been some good years. I think it makes me appreciate the moment I’m in even more, with the offensive weapons we have, with the type of leadership we have from the front office, with the type of coaching staff we have. It makes me happy I’m here.”

Terms were not disclosed, but the deal for the 30-year-old Cutler is reportedly worth nearly $18 million per year over the first three years and includes at least $50 million guaranteed.

Cutler played in just 11 games due to ankle and groin injuries. He completed 224 of 355 passes for 2,621 yards and 19 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

Giants assistant Gilbride retires

Kevin Gilbride has retired as offensive coordinator for the New York Giants.

The 62-year-old Gilbride, a veteran of 39 years in coaching, says Thursday he wants to devote more time to his family.

He spent the last decade with the Giants, winning two Super Bowls, but was under pressure this season for New York’s inconsistent performance on offense. They finished 28th in the NFL in total yards (307.5 a game), 29th in yards rushing per game (83.3) and 30th in yards per carry (3.5).

Former punter slams Vikings

Former Minnesota punter Chris Kluwe says his special teams coordinator made anti-gay comments while Kluwe was with the Vikings.

In a scathing article posted Thursday on the website Deadspin, Kluwe wrote that coach Mike Priefer made several anti-gay comments in objection to Kluwe’s outspoken support of a gay marriage amendment in Minnesota.

Kluwe also says former Vikings coach Leslie Frazier and current general manager Rick Spielman encouraged him to tone down his rhetoric in an effort to reduce distractions to the team.

Every playoff game to be streamed

Every NFL playoff game will be streamed live online for the first time.

The league said Thursday that CBS and Fox would be providing live streams of their broadcasts this season. The Super Bowl and NBC’s wild-card games were available online the last two seasons.